1

REPUBLIKA HRVATSKA XV. GIMNAZIJA

Program međunarodne mature International Baccalaureate Department

Zagreb, Jordanovac 8, Croatia tel: +385 1 230 2255

e-mail: ibzagreb-dip@hi.t-com.hr

STUDENT’S GENERAL GUIDE

ON

EXTENDED ESSAY

2019/2020

2

3

1. THE REQUIREMENT

Every IB Diploma candidate must submit an Extended Essay

It is recommended that candidates spend about 40 - 50 hours in total on the Extended Essay.

Teachers should be there for a student but not spend more than 3-5 hours supervising the EE.

2. LANGUAGE OF THE ESSAY

EEs in all subjects must be written in English.

EEs submitted in Language B or Language A (Literature) must be written in that language.

3. THE LENGTH OF THE EXTENDED ESSAY

It is an essay of 4000 words.

It does not include:

acknowledgements

the content page

any maps, charts, diagrams and tables

the references/bibliography

any appendices

4

4. WHAT IS EE? (definition):

The Extended Essay is defined as an in-depth study of a limited topic within a subject.

Candidates should be engaged in independent research.

It is an academic essay.

It is externally assessed essay!

5. THE CHOICE OF SUBJECT

EE may be submitted in one of your Diploma Program courses, preferably a HL course.

It should be the subject student is good in, that interests them the most, and the subject that is, preferably,

relevant to their future studies.

Your subject teacher will be your Extended Essays supervisor!

5

6. THE CHOICE OF THE TOPIC

The topic of the EE is the particular area of study within the chosen subject.

Without personal curiosity and interest, it’s impossible to find a good topic and do the research.

The relevant Subject Guidelines, provided by your supervisor, should be carefully considered before deciding on

a topic.

The topic should be limited in scope and narrowed down sufficiently to allow candidates to examine an issue or

problem in depth.

The topic should present the candidate with the opportunity to collect or generate information and/or data for

analysis and evaluation.

A broad topic is unlikely to result in a successful Extended Essay.

A topic which requires: no personal research, is entirely dependent upon summarizing secondary sources,

requires an essentially narrative or descriptive approach is not suitable for EE.

Tips: - make a list of topical areas in chosen subject which interest you - discuss the list with your teacher, with friends, with parents and anyone else who you think may be able to give you advice or simply be interested - choose two areas from the list, and read more in these areas with advice from your supervisor - while reading try to list questions you are curious about - make a decision on a topic based on these questions!

6

7. THE RESEARCH QUESTION

The research question of the EE is the specific focus of the investigation and it is usually phrased in the form of

a question.

The research question should be challenging but manageable; it should be explored within the constraints of

time, length and available resources.

Tips:

- Ask yourself: o What sources and / or data you might need to answer that question o How these sources / data can be accessed o Consult the librarian for help in tracking the sources o Check the internet for research by others in this area – be critical about internet sources! o Ask what method you need to adopt to answer your research question o Consult your supervisor frequently!

What is a good research question?

- one formulated by student out of their own curiosity or interest,

- non-trivial (i.e. substantial, not speculative or too limited, not self-evident)

- focused sharply enough so that the student can answer it in 4,000 words

Examples of a bad research questions: - Economics: Does globalization affect Croatia? - Biology: What causes cancer?

Examples of a good research questions: - Economics: Why does restaurant Nokturno maintain low prices despite increased VAT for catering services and the

high competition in the surrounding area?” - Biology: The ecology of snails in the Maksimir area.

7

8. SUPERVISION

Each candidate is supervised by a teacher at the school with appropriate qualifications and/or experience in the

subject.

The EE supervisor has four principal responsibilities:

to encourage and support the candidate throughout the research and writing of the EE to provide the candidate with advice and guidance in the skills of undertaking the research to ensure that EE is the candidate's own work to complete the Supervisor's report

The supervisor must provide assistance with:

defining a suitable topic formulating a precise research question access to appropriate resources (such as people, a library, a laboratory) techniques of gathering and analyzing information/evidence/data documentation methods for acknowledging sources

Supervisor must allow candidates to decide on the topic and the research question and develop their own ideas.

The supervisor is encouraged to read and comment on the draft of the EE.

In addition, the Supervisor should read the final version of the Extended Essay in order to fill in the Supervisor’s

Report.

The supervisor runs the final interview – Viva Voce.

8

9. THE VIVA VOCE

The viva voce is a short interview between the student and the supervisor, and is a recommended conclusion to

the extended essay process. It should last between 10 and 15 minutes.

The viva voce serves the following purposes:

a check on plagiarism and malpractice in general

an opportunity to reflect on successes and difficulties in the research process

an opportunity to reflect on what has been learned

an aid to the supervisor's report.

10. RPPF - Reflections on planning and progress form

This form is to be completed by the candidate during the course and completion of their EE. This document

records reflections on your planning and progress, and the nature of your discussions with your supervisor.

You must undertake three formal reflection sessions with your supervisor:

1) the first formal reflection session should focus on your initial ideas and how you plan to undertake your

research;

2) the interim reflection session is once a significant amount of your research has been completed, and

3) the final session will be in the form of a viva voce once you have completed and handed in your EE.

This document acts as a record in supporting the authenticity of your work. The three reflections combined must

amount to no more than 500 words. It must be submitted together with the completed EE for assessment under

Criterion E

• An RPPF submitted in a language other than that of the essay will be awarded a mark of 0 for Criterion E.

9

THE ORGANISATION OF THE ESSAY

COVER PAGE

Cover Page must contain: 1) Title, 2) RQ, 3) Subject, 4) Session (May 2021), 5) Word Count

TITLE

Title should provide a clear indication of the focus of the essay. It should be precise and not phrased in

question form. It should be written last.

CONTENT PAGE

Placed immediately after the Cover Page. It should not be numbered.

Gives the overview of the organization of the essay.

Pages following the Content Page must be numbered.

INTRODUCTION

Describes why the chosen topic is interesting, important or worthy of study.

Includes some background information, places a topic within a context.

The research question should be clearly and precisely stated here.

The introduction should end with a clear statement of thesis and argument, i.e. the response to the

research question that will be developed in the body of the essay.

10

BODY/DEVELOPMENT

The major section of the Essay.

Gives a systematic development and a convincing answer to the research question.

Some subjects may require sub-headings for major sections within the main body.

Should not be the compilation of information gathered from other sources.

Present, discuss and evaluate the data you have gathered!

Insert tables, diagrams and charts. Label them properly.

CONCLUSION

should be clearly stated

should be relevant to the research question being investigated

should be substantiated by the evidence provided

should indicate issues, unresolved questions and new questions that have emerged from the research.

REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The direct or indirect use of the words of another person, written, oral or electronic, must be acknowledged

appropriately.

The bibliography should specify: author(s), title, date and place of publication, and the name of the

publisher, following consistently one standard method of listing sources.

11

Examples:

Peterson, A. D. C. Schools Across Frontiers: the story of the International Baccalaureate and the United World College. Open Court: La Salle, Illinois (1987).

“Joel-Peter Witkin” Supervert. 1993, http://supervert.com/essays/art/joelpeter_witkin; Reading date: 25/10/2010

MALPRACTISE !!! To avoid charges of plagiarism, candidates must always ensure that they acknowledge fully and in detail

the words and/or ideas of another person by using quotations and by paraphrasing ideas published in

books, magazines or on the internet.

If found guilty of plagiarism, candidate’s EE will not be graded, diploma will not be issued, and a candidate

is usually punished by not being allowed to register for November examination session.

For this reason, all students must hand in TurnIt In/Originality Report together with two copies of their EE to the

supervisor.

APPENDICES (if included)

Examiners are not required to read appendices; thus, all information relevant to the argument/discussion should

be put in the main part of the EE.

12

ASSESMENT OF EXTENDED ESSAYS - externally assessed against assessment criteria:

Criterion A: Focus and method. This criterion focuses on the topic, the research question and the methodology. It assesses the explanation of the focus of the research (this includes the topic and the research question), how the research will be undertaken, and how the focus is maintained throughout the essay.

Criterion B: Knowledge and understanding. This criterion assesses the extent to which the research relates to the subject area/discipline used to explore the research question, or in the case of the world studies extended essay, the issue addressed and the two disciplinary perspectives applied, and additionally the way in which this knowledge and understanding is demonstrated through the use of appropriate terminology and concepts.

Criterion C: Critical thinking. This criterion assesses the extent to which critical-thinking skills have been used to analyses and evaluate the research undertaken.

Criterion D: Presentation This criterion assesses the extent to which the presentation follows the standard format expected for academic writing and the extent to which this aids effective communication.

Criterion E: Engagement This criterion assesses the student’s engagement with their research focus and the research process. It will be applied by the examiner at the end of the assessment of the essay, after considering the student’s reflection.

13

Overview of the assessment criteria for the Extended Essay

Criterion A: focus

and method

Criterion B: knowledge

and understanding

Criterion C:

critical thinking

Criterion D:

presentation

Criterion E:

engagement

- Topic - RQ - Methodology

- Context - Subject specific terminology and concepts

- Research - Analysis - Discussion and evaluation

- Structure - Layout

- Process - Research focus

Marks Marks Marks Marks Marks

6 6 12 4 6

Total marks available: 34

Diploma points are awarded in conjunction with TOK: 0, 1, 2 or 3 (or F) using the matrix:

TOK / EE

A B C D E

A 3 3 2 2 Fail

B 3 2 2 1 Fail

C 2 2 1 0 Fail

D 2 1 0 0 Fail

E Fail Fail Fail Fail Fail